Urban Land Institute Emerging Trends 2017

“The Southeast looks positioned to do well for the next five to ten years. North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee all have their acts together.”

Nashville (6). The capital of Tennessee has generated as much conversation as any market during the Emerging Trends interviews over thepast two years, and interest in this 18-hour market remains high again in 2017. Nashville maintains its hip factor, which continues to be evidenced by the high percentage of graduates from Nashville-area colleges and universities who choose to stay in the market after graduation. The diverse economy is driven by health care, technology, tourism, and edu- cation. All of these sectors have been job creators during the economic recovery and are expected to continue to create jobs in 2017.

Nashville is an example of a market that has transitioned to an upper-tier secondary market. The increased level of investor interest in Nashville increases the perceived liquidity of the market, which only makes it more attractive to nonlocal investors. Debt and equity capital continues to be available from both local and national sources.

Raleigh/Durham (7). The Raleigh/Durham market in North Carolina ticks a lot of the boxes for real estate success: affordable living and business costs, a concentration of research universities and colleges, home of the state capital, and a moderate climate. These features continue to draw interest from the real estate investment world. The combina- tion of these features makes Raleigh/Durham a strong example of an 18-hour market. All property sectors continue to show improvement in the Raleigh/Durham market. New development is showing an increased interest in mixed use.